Automatic feed for blast-furnaces



, (No Model.) 2 Sh'ets-'Sheet 1.

J RICHTER. AUTOMATIGPBBD FOR BLAST FURNAGBS.

No. 418,927. Patented Jan. 7, 1890.

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(No Model.)

- J. RICHTER.

AUTOMATIC FEED FOR BLAST PURNAGBS.

No. 418,927. Patented Jan. 7,1890.

PETERS. Phnrn-Lilhuynpher. wnmngimvl C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB RICHTER, OF SOUTH CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC FEED FOR BLAST-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 418,927, dated January 7, 1890. Application tiled March 8, 1889. Serial No. 302,555. (No model.)

To all whom t ntay concern.-

Be itknown that I, JAcoB RICHTER, a citi` zen of the United States of America, residing at South Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Feed for Blast-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to devices for automatically feeding a blast-furnace; and it consists in the combination, with the elevatorplatform for hoisting' the ore, coal, and linx, of a car loaded with the material to be moved upon the platform while below, and again over the mouth of the furnace while above, and vice versa, all by a single cable device, and again in a combination therewith of a device for automatically dumping the contents of the car into the furnace-mouth, all as will be more fully hereinafter described and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a vertical section of the top of the furnace and of the adjoining elevator-tower, the same being provided with my improved devices for automaticallyv feeding the furnace. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the carand automatic dumping device; Fig. 3, an edge view of the segment-gear and cam for the dumping device, and Fig. 4 a sectional elevation of the cable-winding spool and reversible driving-gear for the same.

Corresponding' letters of reference in the several figures of the drawings designate like parts.

A denotes the upper portion of a blast-furnace provided in its top with a feed-funnel a, closed by a conical bell-valve b, to be opened by lowering by means of any well-known or usual device, so the material while dumping will have to slide over this valve o to be scattered and distributed. Upon the top of funnel a is fixed an inverted funnel c, both funnels o; and c providing alarge feed-hopper.

B is the elevator shaft or tower, built adjoining the furnace and connected with the top of furnace A by a bridge C, the top chords of which incline toward the furnace, so as to overreach the funnel c, where again these top chords are horizontal. In this shaft B is arranged a platform-elevator D, of any usual construction, hoisted or lowered by a wire rope CZ, passed over a pulley e and driven by steam orwater power. This platform-elevator is provided with sheaves f and g, for purposes that will be hereinafter explained.

E is a hopper-car, being funnel-shaped in its bottom and supported on four flanged Wheels h. This car has connected to' each end of its hopper the end of a wire cable z' j, the opposite ends of which cables are secured upon a spool F, feathered upon shaft 7c, and having an elongated hub with two bevel friction-wheels G and H, engaging either one with another bevel friction-wheel I, rigidly mounted upon a shaft Z, which is driven from a steam-engi ne or other motor to be constantly rotating. Intermediate of wheels G and II the hub of spool F has formed an annular groove by flanges m for the forked end of a shifting-lever, which by lateral shifting may bring either wheel G or H in contact with wheel I, to be rotated thereby in either one or the other direction, so as to wind one cable c' and unwind the other cable j, or vice versa, or by shifting the spool F half-way, so neither Wheel C or H will touch wheel I, thereby releasing the spool F, to be rotated by the pulling of either cable lor i7, or to remain stationary. The cable 'L' is passed from spool F over pulley J, pivotally secured to the bridge C and over pulleys n, o, and L olf a stand M, secured upon the rear edge of the furnace to car E, and the cable j is passed from car E over pulley f of elevator-platform D, thence around pulley N in the lower door of the elevator-tower B, thence over sheave O, exterior of and any required distance away from said tower B, and thence below the track p and through an opening in the base of tower B to spool F.

The lowering of the car E is done by winding cable j upon spool F, whereby the car E will run down upon track-rails on top of bridge C, forming a continuation of a track on elevatoreplatform D, and after the car has arrived upon the elevator-platform the spool F is released from wheel I and the elevator-platform is lowered, whereby the cable t' will find a support upon a pulley R, pivoted in the sill of the top door of the towerB. During the time the elevatonplatform is being lowered the cable i will unwind from IOO spool F, and proportionally the cable j will be wound thereon, and by the time the elevater-platform D will have reached the bottom of the elevator-shaft, where its track will again form a continuation with track p, the cable j will have cleared the pulleys f and N, and then again applying power to spool F to pull the car horizontally to the location where it is to be loaded the cable t' will pass around pulley g, pivoted to the platform-elevator D. For moving and lifting the loaded car E to the furnace top the movements are the same, only in reversed succession.

The funnel-opening of car E is closed bya conical valve S, suspended by a link r to a lever s, pivoted in a bracket t, which is secured upon one end of hopper E. The rearwardly-overhanging end of lever s is pivotally coupled with the upper end of a vertical bar u, guided in a bracket t, and this bar u has pivoted at its rlower end a roller w. A

segmental gear-wheel T, pivoted to a bracket of the rear end of the car, has secured to it a cam-plate U, against the under face of which t-he roller w bears, holding the valve S to its uppermost position for closing the funnel-mouth while the car E is bein g loaded and is being moved and elevated, until said car has reached the end of its trip over the top of the furnace within about a foot, when the teeth of segment-gear T Will engage the teeth of a horizontal stationary rack-bar V, so that with the rest of the motion of the car said segment-gear T will be turned, and with it the cam U, thereby releasing the bar u to allow the lever s to swing and the valve S to drop, when the contents of car E will discharge into hopper c a of the furnace. The

' return movement of car E with releasing segment-gear T willturn again said gear and cam U in a reverse direction, whereby the valve S is raised and closed again againstthe bottom mouth of the car fit-h this arrangement it will be seen the feeding of a furnace can be done entirely by machinery in an automatic manner.

What I claim isl. A device for feeding blast-furnaces, in which is comprised a tower, a platform-elevator, a bridge, extending from said tower and over the furnace to.t be charged, a surfacetrack, and a car provided with cables for pulling the same horizontally from and to the place where it is to be loaded, and after elevated pulling the same again horizontally to bring it over the mouth of the furnace and return again, all substantially as set forth.

2. A device for feeding blast-furnaces, in which is comprised a tower, a platform-elevator, a bridge extending from said tower and over the furnace to be charged, a surfacetrack, and a car provided with cables passed over pulleys at the farther end of the surfacetrack in the elevator-shaft and on top of the furnace to pull such car horizontally from and to the place Where it is to be loaded, and after elevated moving the same again horizontally over the mouth of the furnace and return again, and pulleys secured to the platform-elevator for guiding such cables while the platform is on its lowest and uppermost positions, all substantially as set forth.

A device for feeding blast-furnaces, in which is comprised a car provided with a dumping-valve and a cam and a segmentgear connected with said valve, a stationary rack arranged in juxtaposition to -the furnace to be charged to actuate the segmentgear, and suitable means for conducting the car to and from the furnace.

In testimony whereof I affix my signatu rein presence of two witnesses.

JACOB RICHTER.

Vitnesses:

WILLIAM H. LoTz, OTTO LUBKERT. 

